Defeat the Fire Nation
by syd04
Summary: This story starts after Zuko finds out Aang is going to attack the Fire Lord after Sozin's Comet and Aang goes to meditate by himself. I hope you like the story.
1. The War

Aang breathed in. All he had smelled since the war started was the faint smell of smoke. Aang knew he had to defeat the Fire Lord. And soon. The world was counting on him. "Aang," a gentle voice said behind him. Aang turned around. It was Katara. "We'll help you get through this." Zuko and Sokka came in the room. "I'll teach you everything about firebending that my uncle taught me," Zuko volunteered. "Thanks, Zuko," Aang said gratefully. "Thank you, everyone, for getting me this far. Without you, I would probably be dead, killed by the Fire Lord." "It was nothing," Sokka said. Aang left the crowd with all eyes on him. He left to another room, any room, to connect with his past lives. He walked in one without thinking about cleanliness. The room, dusty, dark, and musty. It had a single window. Aang sat down. He found a few candles lying around, put them in front of himself, and lit them with firebending. The fire spread to the floor. "If I'm ever going to defeat the Fire Lord, I need some help with my firebending," Aang mumbled into the air. He put out the fire, which was creeping it's way to the wall sneakily. "Oh hey, Momo!" Momo crawled in. Aang petted him between his over-sized ears. Momo explored the room. "Please, please… I need answers. How do I defeat the Fire Lord?" Aang whispered into the air. He closed his eyes. Maybe if he slept, he could find something. Aang slowly drifted off to sleep… _Bang!_ Aang heard a crash outside. Aang raced outside. It was Appa. "Appa! Bad boy!"Katara shouted. "Grrrrrrmmmmm," Appa grunted back. "What happened here?!" Aang called to the gang. Appa didn't normally get into trouble. "Appa decided to chase down a random pedestrian," Katara said. Katara rolled her eyes. "Appa must've thought the person was a Fire Nation guard!" Sokka said. "Yeah, as if that would be a guard. We are masters of hiding places," Katara countered. Aang went back inside. This time, he succeeded in lighting the candles, but Aang knew that if he made one mistake when battling the Fire Lord, he would fall to the ground…limp…and dead.


	2. The Vision

Aang tried falling asleep again. His eyes shut, and he was asleep. Aang tossed and turned in the night, and he dreamed that the walker Appa almost chewed on was a Fire Nation spy. He dreamed that the so called "spy" was on his way to the Fire Lord to tell him where Aang was, and he had several weaknesses… his friends. The "spy" was also meeting up with Azula to tell her that Zuko was coming to take the Fire Lord crown away from her. Azula went along the path to the Fire Nation. Then, Aang saw a water bender walking along the path, and quickly, before the "spy" could do anything, froze him in an ice block. Aang's eyes flew open. Sweat dripped off his forehead.

Aang trudged along the path, Momo at his side. He didn't tell a soul about his dream. This is the note that Aang wrote:

_I have left along the path. Follow the footsteps to the hill before you enter the Fire Nation, but only if I have not returned in two days._

_Aang_

Katara woke the others. She showed them the not. Zuko looked up. "It's only two days before the Comet. Aang is going at a dangerous time. Any where near the Fire Nation is probably crawling with guards. We have to get him back here, now," Zuko decided. "What about Aang's note? It says: _ Follow me only if I have returned in two days._"Katara said. "The _Comet_ is in two days. That's when we have to _act,_" Zuko told her. The decision was final. Aang was halfway to the hill.

The group had only just started up the path.


	3. The Frozen Spy

The Fire Lord stood. The day was almost there. Soon he would leave being Fire Lord to Azula. He was going to be King of All Nations. Sozin's Comet would give him a hundred more times of Fire Bending power. He would bring the narions to ash. Then recreate them the way he wanted them to be like. The soon-to-be King. The Avatar would have no chance against him. Bt there was a tiny flicker of something that had been in his heart ever since the Avatar came out of hiding. What was it? He just couldn't place his finger on it. A frightening thought flashed across his mind. Fear. _No. It couldn't be. _He thought. He had never felt it in his life. It was strange. It was weakening. Yet, every second, it was growing… and growing… "Azula! Come here!" the Fire Lord barked. "Yes, Father..?"Azula rushed into the room. "I want you to be Fire Lord." "What…? I mean, thank you! This is great! Ha,ha,ha,ha! Zuko is no longer able to steal my crown away from me,"Azula cackled. A wisp of hair floated down from her messy, coal-black bun. The sun slowly sank down into the horizon. One more day until Sozin's Comet. One more day to find Aang and prepare his fire bending skills for the final battle, the battle with the Fire Lord.

Aang saw the hill in the distance he ran towards it. In three seconds, he was there. His eyes reflected something so familiar, he could have seen how it happened. There was a man frozen in a block of ice. He looked as though he had died, but Aang couldn't be sure. He unfroze the man from his head to his shoulders, just in case he really was a Fire Nation spy. "Talk," Aang commanded him. "W-w-w-water bender… froze m-m-me here…"the man studdered. "Tell me. Are you or are you not a Fire Nation spy?" Aang asked with force. "I am not… am an ear… earth bender." "Do earth bending, then." Nothing happened. "Oops. Sorry," Aang said, blushing. The water that froze the man swished down to a puddle. Aang was still on his guard, but he let it down just a little. The Fire Nation spy saw his chance. _Swoosh!_ A rush of fire was swept dangerously towards Aang.


	4. Fire Bending Training

Aang only had to move a finger to block it. The fire was gone, and Aang knew the truth. He froze the man back in water from his toes to his shoulders. _Crack._ The man cried out, " Please! Please! Don't leave me here! I am innocent! I am innocent!" Aang walked away, back to the house. He decided it would be quicker to run. He broke into a sprint, with Momo gliding a little ways back. Then he passed familiar faces. He went back. It was Katara and the others. "We were worried _sick!_ We thought you went to fight the Fire Lord _without_ our help!" Sokka accused Aang. "Sokka, be quiet. Aang just had something important to do. Right Aang…?" Katara asked. "Yes, it was important. It was a vision. Azula knows you are coming Zuko, so you will have to be extra prepared to battle. The element of surprise will not be on your side this time," Aang said.

The gang moved to a beach since the Fire Lord knew where they were located. They made a makeshift shelter, that would do until the Comet. Zuko took Aang to a clearing that was dappled with sunlight. Zuko made wooden dummies that were spread out across the clearing. He armed them with sticks. "Hit them with fire," Zuko said, quite simply, like it was the easiest thing that could possibly be done. Aang missed 3 out of 5 times. Zuko's mouth dropped open. He shook his head, trying to clear what he just saw out of his mind. "Point the palm of your hand at wherever you want the stream of fire to go. That's the most accurate way to fire bend. Don't dangle your hand like you're scared," Zuko taught. Aang tried again. This time, he hit all of the dummies. "Good," Zuko encouraged. "Keep going. Try to putting more force into the thrust of your arm. You'll get more fire then." Aang tried again. "Better," Zuko said. "Now, I want to teach you something new. Flying with fire. Just put your fists by your side. And try to get at least a spark out of it. But your goal is to get as big of a stream of fire as this." He shot up into the sky and zoomed everywhere, with fire streaming behind him. Aang shot up for a second and fell. "It's getting late. We should probably get inside," Aang said, with a yawn.


	5. The Battle Scenes

Meanwhile, the Fire Lord was testing out his incredible fire bending power. He knocked out one hundred trees at his weakest. "Mmmmm.. Aha! The Avatar will have no chance against me!" the Fire Lord laughed.

Azula was at the palace, getting ready for her coronation. She combed her jet black hair endlessly. Everything had to be perfect for her coronation. To be Fire Lord was all she had ever wanted since she was six years old. Her dreams were finally coming true. Zuko could not get in the way this time."Finally… I have what Zuko can never have! Ahaha! Ahahaha!" Azula laughed psychotically. Slowly, but quickly, Azula was going out of her mind. "Stop right there, Azula. It's time to put this nation to justice," a voice said behind her. Azula turned around. It was Zuko.

Aang saw him in the distance. The Fire Lord. His black hair was pulled back out of his face. His eyes were fierce. He was clearly ready for battle. Aang's tattoos were glowing just a little, like a dim, blue lamp. "Greetings, Avatar. Meet a little friend of mine, Death," the Fire Lord suddenly sent a red sea of fire towards Aang. Aang sprinted out of the way, leaving a deep mark in the hard, brown, rocky earth behind him. "You'll have to do better than that, Fire Lord," Aang taunted. His tattoos glowed a little bit more every time he hit the Fire Lord, or avoided one of the Fire Lord's strikes. His opponent's eyes were glazed with fear and determination, which were shining bright red like the fire he was bending. "Just try to defend yourself!" the Fire Lord snarled. There was an explosion of fire, and Aang blocked it by bringing up an earth wall as thick as two mansions put side by side. "Aaarrg!" Aang grunted. The Fire Lord's blasts of fire were getting stronger, but Aang was almost in the Avatar state. He twisted and turned and dodged and bended. Aang water bended and earth bended and air bended and fire bended. Fire bending wasn't easy, but he knew he had to be able to bend all of the elements before he could defeat the Fire Lord.

Azula's eye twitched. "Z-Zuko? My little spy told me you were coming earlier. I thought you were scared and ran off, away from your little friends," Azula said. She was annoyed with her spy. She would banish him from the Fire Nation after she dealt with puny Zuko. "Why have you come today? You know my fire bending is 100 times than it would be regularly," Azula wondered. "I have come because my fire bending is 100 times than it would be regularly, too. And this is the day that peace comes to the nations. Aang is fighting the Fire Lord, and I am fighting you," Zuko replied, prepared for any funny business. "So you want a fight… And a fight you'll get!" Azula raised her voice. "Aarrg!" _Swoosh!_ A floor of fire was swept towards Zuko. Zuko jumped above it. He stayed in the air with fire coming from his fists. He kicked fire at Azula. She dodged it with a swift movement. "I – will – be – Fire –Lord!" Azula punched more fire at Zuko. Zuko threw fireballs right back at her."What's the matter Azula? No lightning?" Zuko taunted. "You want lightning..?! I'll show you lightning!" was Azula's crazed reply. "Look out, Zuko! Ahahaha!" She held her hands out and out came the lightning. Except the wrath of the lightning wasn't unleashed on Zuko. Azula was electrocuted, right then and there, on the spot.


	6. The Old Ending, The New Beginning

Sokka, Bumi, and Suki were near the hill where the spy was frozen, just a little ways ahead. They approached the entrance to the Fire Nation. It was heavily guarded. "We can take 'em!" Bumi said confidently. "Yeah!" Sokka agreed. "I'm with you shouted Suki, a little too loudly. "Who goes there?!" a Fire Nation guard called. "Nobody!" said Sokka, in a high voice Bumi and Suki didn't know boys could reach. "Search the area," the head guard told the others. There was a sound of crunching grass. The guards were getting closer. Bumi heard them, and she trapped them in a rocky earth wall. There was a flash of fire and earth, then the head captain was on the ground, moaning. Bumi made a wall of earth between the guards and themselves. The fire couldn't reach them. Bumi opened the earth and made a tunnel under the wall to the inside of the Fire Nation. They were in.

Azula fell to the ground. "Is she dead?" Katara asked from where she was sitting. She had been watching the brother and sister fight. She wanted to join the fight badly, but she knew the battle was Zuko's. "No, she's not dead. But she'll probably be paralyzed after that shock," Zuko put Azula in chains. Her crimes against humanity were over. Azula was sweating like a dog on a hot summer day. She was having muscle spasms. Zuko – this- isn't – over…!" Azula tried to say. She had officially lost all common sense, and was to be put in jail, so she had even more time to go out of her mind. "It_ is_ over, Azula. And there's nothing you can do about it," Zuko corrected her. "Come on. Let's find Sokka, Suki, and Bumi. We can help them," Zuko laid out the next step of the game plan.

"Time to give up, Avatar. You could never beat me," the Fire Lord teased Aang. Aang didn't reply. All of his tattoos were glowing as bright as Sozin's Comet, passing by them. Aang was in the Avatar state. Suddenly, Aang rose up in the air. Fragments of all the elements were rising up beside him. They combined and formed an earth, water, fire, and air ball. They multiplied and formed a sphere surrounding Aang. The Fire Lord thrust fire at Aang, but he did it so fearfully that he had a bad aim. He missed every time. The sphere disappeared, dissolved into the air. Aang was still in the Avatar state. He blasted the Fire Lord with a mixture of air, water, fire, and earth all at the same time. The Fire Lord was caught off guard and thrown off the rock he was standing. "Oof!" he exclaimed. Aang raised the Fire Lord into the air, as high as the sky, then dropped him. "Aaaaaah!" the Fire Lord screamed. He hit the ground, hard. The Fire Lord was wheezing. Aang returned to physical form. He saw the Fire Lord just sitting there, and he felt terrible. But he did feel he needed to do something to the Fire Lord that wouldn't kill him. He remembered something he had seen in the Spirit World long before. Aang pressed his thumb against the Fire Lord's forehead, and the Fire Lord's bending was taken away.


End file.
